The Scent of Lavender on an Old Woolen Scarf

Dear Delyara, I pulled an old, thick wool scarf out from the bottom of my bag tonight because the room was dropping below freezing. As I wrapped it around my neck, the faint, sweet scent of lavender drifted up from the wool—a smell from a drawer that hasn't been opened in over two years. It hit me so hard my eyes watered. It wasn't just a pleasant smell; it was the smell of a life where someone had time to care about things being clean, soft, and safe. I buried my nose into the rough fabric, breathing it in until my lungs ached, trying to remember what it felt like to walk into a house where the air didn't smell like dust, old paper, and stale coffee.